Andre Nowacki

I was born in Poland the year before the start of the Second World War. As a child, I experienced

German occupation, following with the Soviets installing a communist regime. Education was

emphasized in my family, and I finished my studies in Poland with a degree in electronic

engineering.

Growing up, as a young person enchanted by mountains, I got involved in the state-sponsored

sport of alpinism, My good results in competitive climbing allowed me to travel abroad to many

mountain ranges and experience different social systems, which was very unusual for Polish

citizens of this time.

On one of my climbing trips to Switzerland, I met my future wife-a young woman from

Tennessee brave enough to smuggle me from Switzerland to Germany, where she worked for an

American company.

In Germany, I found myself without legal status and breaking Polish law. Four weeks later, I was

required to return to Poland.

Eventually, Anne and I got married in Munich. After two years of living and working in

Germany and Switzerland and many unusual adventures, we finally moved to the US. We first

spent some time in Tennessee, but with our strong desire to be close to the mountains, we soon

moved to Northern California, to the foot of Mt. Shasta, then later to Nevada, and finally to

Leavenworth, WA, where we spent 37 years together.

For most of my working years, I worked for a ski lift manufacturing company and then for a

solar-powered desalination project in Mexico, always as an independent contractor.

After my wife of 47 years passed away, I moved to Wenatchee, further away from the

challenging rocky peaks of the Icicle Valley but still close to the beauty of North Cascades. This

proximity to the mountains is still essential to me.